Brown’s super weekend

Chris Brown came first in the 32-man field at the Ossett Flying Horse spring open in which South Yorkshire had 12 competitors.

Six of them went out in the first round. Thomas Boyd lost 21-4 to the eventual runner-up James Wilcox, and Dave Mallinson scored an unlucky 13 with James’s Yorkshire County team-mate Keiran Smith. Everyone else scored heavily, as Mel Hobson lost 21-19 to Chris Hill with Ernie Wearing, Danny Sillitoe and Scott Woodward all exiting 21-20.

Kevin Reilly beat Warren Wilson 21-18, Carl Upton of Barnsley took out one of the favourites Scott Fisher, Martyn Watkin beat Andy Wike and Richard Howson beat Paul Burke all three winning 21-15, but perhaps an early indication of how the day was to pan out came when Brown beat Neil Simpson 21-3.

Richard Howson and Carl Upton’s challenges ended at the quarter-final stage, to James Wilcox and Billy Smyth, 18 and 17 respectively, with Chris Brown avenging his colleague’s defeats at the hands of John Davis by the minimum margin.

Brown then beat two younger guys, Dan Petcher of Derby 21-16 and James Wilcox from Crossgates 21-17 to pocket the first prize and make it 10 wins out of 11 for the weekend.

n Brown had doubled up the previous day with entries at both the West Midlands’ early season Champion of Champions qualifying tournaments.

He covered the petrol cost by winning three games in the morning at the West Bromwich FC Supporters Club green, culminating in a 21-11 success over Warwickshire county bowler Ryan Prosser.

Unfortunately Chris wasn’t quite able to double up on qualifications, losing 21-20 in the second round in the afternoon to Anthony Aldridge at Cradley Libs. Dave McDermott from Merseyside proved the double qualification was possible by winning six games on the day, in the morning session at Cradley and after lunch a 15 minute drive away in West Bromwich.

Jack Clarke of Meersbrook Bowling Club took top honours yet again in Hollinsend Park’s 20th winter round robin pairs competition.

Rob Hocking of Wickersley and Barry Ward of Crookesmoor finished second and third.

Tomorrow will be the last session with the new winter cup added to the normal prize money for the winner.

n The inaugural Paul Hague Memorial open tournament will be played in Sheffield this weekend in memory of the affable bowler and green-keeper who sadly died last year.

Qualifying sessions are tomorrow from 10 am at Bradway and at Nether Edge, and on Sunday morning at Whiteley Woods and Hallam prop, with the last 16 scheduled for Meersbrook Park from 3pm on Sunday afternoon.

n Another new event, the Cynthia Tonge Memorial ladies open, commemorating probably South Yorkshire’s most prolific winning bowler ever, is at Armthorpe Welfare near Doncaster on Saturday March 29 from 10 am.

n Starting on Monday March 24 and continuing for nine weekdays until th final on Thursday April 3, is the second running of the Sheffield Spring open floodlit competition at Meersbrook Park. Terry Egginton is still taking entries on 0114 255 7137.